JP2008221798A - Head maintenance method, head maintenance mechanism and recorder equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a head maintenance method which enables high-quality printing by preventing defective ejection because of an ink in a thickened state in an ink nozzle of a printing head, and maintaining the ink nozzle in a good state at all times, and to provide a head maintenance mechanism and a recorder. <P>SOLUTION: In the head maintenance method, capping to protect by adhering a head cap to a nozzle formation surface is carried out when suction cleaning of sucking the ink from the ink nozzle while adhering the head cap to the nozzle formation surface is carried out and when printing is stopped. When a power supply is switched on, cap set cleaning judgment of judging whether or not cap set cleaning of forcibly sucking the ink in the thickened state from the ink nozzle is necessary is carried out on the basis of an open time of the nozzle formation surface. Cap set cleaning judgment is carried out even when an ink cartridge is replaced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a head maintenance method and a head maintenance mechanism for performing maintenance of a print head such as an ink jet printer, and a recording apparatus including the head maintenance method.

  In recent years, there has been a media processing device such as a disc dubbing device that writes data to a large number of media such as blank CDs and DVDs, and a CD / DVD publisher that can produce and issue media by performing data writing and label printing. Are known. This type of media processing apparatus includes a drive that writes data to a medium and a printer that is a recording apparatus that performs printing on the label surface of the medium.

  Generally, this type of printer is configured such that an ink jet head mounted on a reciprocating carriage ejects ink droplets from a plurality of ink nozzles to desired positions to perform printing. Since foreign matter such as ink or dust may adhere to the nozzle forming surface of the ink jet head during printing, it is necessary to clean it appropriately outside the printing area.

Therefore, a head maintenance mechanism for performing the maintenance operation of the inkjet head is arranged in a maintenance area outside the printing area by the inkjet head, and the head cap is brought into close contact with the nozzle formation surface of the inkjet head by this head maintenance mechanism to increase the viscosity state. Suction cleaning for sucking ink, wiping for wiping dirt on the nozzle formation surface of the inkjet head, capping for closely attaching the head cap to the nozzle formation surface to prevent clogging of the ink nozzle, thickened ink at the ink nozzle of the inkjet head In order to remove the ink, flushing or the like for discharging ink from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head into the head cap is performed before printing is started or periodically (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-1835

  By the way, after the printing is finished, since the head cap is closely attached to the ink nozzles of the ink jet head and protected by capping, the power is normally turned off in a state where the capping is performed. However, for example, when the outlet is unplugged during printing, the normal power-off sequence is not performed, so there is a possibility that capping is not performed. For this reason, when the power is turned on after that, the ink nozzle opening time is obtained from the presence or absence of capping and the time when the power is turned off, and when the opening time is long, the viscosity increases from the ink nozzle of the inkjet head. Cap set cleaning is performed to suck ink in the state.

  However, when the power is turned on after the ink cartridge replacement operation, the replacement sequence is performed so that a small amount of ink is simply sucked when the replacement sequence of the ink cartridge is uniformly performed. Even after the power is turned off without being capped as described above, the cap set cleaning may not be performed, and there is a possibility that ejection failure due to thickened ink may occur.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a head maintenance method and head maintenance that eliminates defective ejection due to thickened ink in the ink nozzles of the print head and enables high-quality printing by always maintaining the ink nozzles in a good state. It is to provide a mechanism and a recording apparatus.

  The head maintenance method according to the present invention that can solve the above-mentioned problems is that the head cap is brought into close contact with the nozzle forming surface of the print head to suck the ink from the ink nozzle, and the head cap is formed when the printing is stopped. A head maintenance method in which capping is performed so as to closely adhere to a surface for protection, and when the power is turned on, the print head is forced from the ink nozzle to the print head based on the opening time of the nozzle formation surface of the print head. The cap set cleaning determination is performed to determine whether or not the cap set cleaning for sucking ink is necessary, and the cap set cleaning determination is also performed when the ink cartridge storing the ink to be supplied to the print head is replaced. To do.

According to this head maintenance method, not only when the power is turned on but also when the ink cartridge is replaced, the viscosity of the thickened state is forced from the ink nozzle to the print head based on the opening time of the nozzle formation surface of the print head. Since it is determined whether or not the cap set cleaning for sucking ink is necessary, for example, after the capping has not been performed for a long time, the ink nozzle is formed by the cap set cleaning both when the power is turned on and when the ink cartridge is replaced. Therefore, it is possible to forcibly suck the ink in a thickened state and prevent ejection failure due to ink drying in the ink nozzle.
In addition, the waiting time of the user at the start of printing can be reduced as compared with the case where cap set cleaning is performed immediately before the start of printing.

Further, when the ink cartridge has been replaced before the start of printing, it is preferable to perform cleaning at the time of replacement in which a small amount of ink is sucked from the ink nozzle to the print head.
According to this method, when the ink cartridge is replaced, even when cap set cleaning is not performed, cleaning is performed at the time of replacement in which a small amount of ink is sucked from the ink nozzle before starting printing. Ink ejection failure due to residual bubbles or the like immediately after replacement of the ink can also be prevented.

The cap set cleaning determination at the time of replacing the ink cartridge is preferably executed when an open / close door that is opened and closed at the time of replacing the ink cartridge is closed.
According to this method, the cap set cleaning determination can be easily executed by closing the door.

  In addition, the head maintenance mechanism according to the present invention that can solve the above-described problems includes a head cap that is in close contact with the nozzle formation surface of the print head, and a drive unit that contacts and separates the head cap from the nozzle formation surface. A suction means for sucking the inside of the head cap in a state in which the head cap is in close contact with the nozzle forming surface; and a control means for controlling the driving means and the suction means. The head cap is attached to the nozzle forming surface of the print head. A head maintenance mechanism that performs close-up suction cleaning that sucks ink from the ink nozzles and capping that protects the head cap by closely contacting the nozzle forming surface when printing is stopped. Based on the opening time of the nozzle forming surface of the print head, the print head Cap set cleaning determination is performed to determine whether or not cap set cleaning for forcibly sucking ink from the ink nozzles is performed, and the cap set cleaning is performed even when an ink cartridge storing ink to be supplied to the print head is replaced. Judgment is performed.

According to this head maintenance mechanism, not only when the power is turned on but also when the ink cartridge is replaced, the viscosity of the thickened state is forced from the ink nozzle to the print head based on the opening time of the nozzle formation surface of the print head. Since it is determined whether or not the cap set cleaning for sucking ink is necessary, for example, after the capping has not been performed for a long time, the ink nozzle is formed by the cap set cleaning both when the power is turned on and when the ink cartridge is replaced. Therefore, it is possible to forcibly suck the ink in a thickened state and prevent ejection failure due to ink drying in the ink nozzle.
In addition, the waiting time of the user at the start of printing can be reduced as compared with the case where cap set cleaning is performed immediately before the start of printing.

In addition, when the ink cartridge has been replaced before the start of printing, the control unit is configured to perform the cleaning at the time of replacement by sucking a small amount of ink from the ink nozzle to the print head. It is preferable to control the suction means.
According to this configuration, when the ink cartridge is replaced, even when the cap set cleaning is not performed, cleaning at the time of replacement in which a small amount of ink is sucked from the ink nozzle is performed before the start of printing. Ink ejection failure due to residual bubbles or the like immediately after replacement of the ink can also be prevented.

Further, it is preferable that the control means executes the cap set cleaning determination at the time of replacing the ink cartridge when the open / close door that is opened and closed at the time of replacing the ink cartridge is closed.
According to this configuration, the cap set cleaning determination can be easily executed by closing the door.

In addition, a recording apparatus according to the present invention includes the above-described head maintenance mechanism.
According to this recording apparatus, both when the power is turned on and when the ink cartridge is replaced, the ink in the thickened state is forcibly sucked from the ink nozzle by cap set cleaning, and discharge failure due to drying of the ink at the ink nozzle is detected. Therefore, it is possible to reliably maintain the ink nozzles of the print head in a good state and perform a printing process with high quality.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of a head maintenance method, a head maintenance mechanism, and a recording apparatus including the head maintenance method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the present embodiment, a case where the present invention is applied to a media processing apparatus including a publisher will be described as an example.
1 is an external perspective view of the publisher (media processing apparatus), FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the publisher with the case removed, and FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the publisher with the case removed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a label printer portion installed in a publisher.

  The publisher 1 is a media processing apparatus that writes data on a disk-shaped medium such as a CD or DVD and prints on the label surface of the medium, and includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case 2. Opening and closing doors 3 and 4 that can be opened and closed to the left and right are attached to the front surface of the case 2. An operation surface 5 on which display lamps, operation buttons, and the like are arranged is provided at the upper left end of the case 2, and a media discharge port 6 is provided at the lower end of the case 2.

The open / close door 3 on the right side of the front view is a door that opens and closes when an unused blank medium MA is set or when a created medium MB is taken out.
The open / close door 4 on the left side when viewed from the front is for opening and closing when the ink cartridge 12 of the label printer 11 is replaced. When the open / close door 4 is opened, the open / close door 4 has a plurality of cartridge holders 13 arranged in the vertical direction. The cartridge mounting portion 14 (see FIG. 2) is exposed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a blank media stacker 21 as a media storage unit capable of stacking a plurality of unused blank media MA that has not been subjected to data writing processing is provided in the case 2 of the media processing device 1. Then, the created media stacker 22 as a media storage unit in which the created media MB is stored is arranged vertically in a coaxial state. The blank media stacker 21 and the created media stacker 22 are detachable from the predetermined positions shown in FIG.

  The blank media stacker 21 is provided with a pair of left and right arc-shaped frame plates 24 and 25, thereby allowing the blank media MA to be received from above and stored in a coaxially stacked state. The operation of storing or replenishing the blank media MA in the blank media stacker 21 can be easily performed by opening the door 3 and taking out the stacker.

  The created media stacker 22 on the lower side has the same structure, and includes a pair of left and right arc-shaped frame plates 27 and 28. By this, the created media MB is received from the upper side and stacked in a coaxial manner. A stackable stacker is configured.

  Further, the created media MB (that is, the medium on which data writing and label surface printing have been completed) can be taken out from the open / close door 3.

  A media transport mechanism 31 is disposed behind the blank media stacker 21 and the created media stacker 22. The media transport mechanism 31 has a vertical guide shaft 35 that is vertically extended between a horizontal support plate portion 34 attached to the base 72 and the top plate 33 of the chassis 32. A transport arm 36 is supported on the vertical guide shaft 35 so as to be able to move up and down and turn. The transport arm 36 can be moved up and down along the vertical guide shaft 35 by a drive motor 37 and can be swung left and right about the vertical guide shaft 35. The media transported to the media discharge port 6 by the media transport mechanism 31 can be taken out from the media discharge port 6.

Two media drives 41 that are stacked one above the other are disposed on the sides of the upper and lower stackers 21 and 22 and the media transport mechanism 31, and a carriage 62 (described later) of the label printer 11 is disposed below these media drives 41. 4) is movably arranged.
The media drive 41 has media trays 41a that can move between a data writing position on the media and a media delivery position for receiving and delivering media.

  Further, the label printer 11 has a media tray 51 that can move between a label printing position on the label surface of the media and a media delivery position for receiving and delivering the media.

  2 and 3, the media tray 41a of the upper media drive 41 is pulled out to the front and is in the media delivery position, and the media tray 51 of the lower label printer 11 is in the back label printable position. It is shown. The label printer 11 is an ink jet printer, and ink cartridges 12 of various colors (black, cyan, magenta, yellow, light cyan, and light magenta in this embodiment) are used as the ink supply mechanism 71, and these ink cartridges are used. 12 is mounted on each cartridge holder 13 of the cartridge mounting section 14 from the front.

  Here, between the pair of left and right frame plates 24 and 25 of the blank media stacker 21 and between the pair of left and right frame plates 27 and 28 of the created media stacker 22, the transport arm 36 of the media transport mechanism 31 can be raised and lowered. A gap is formed. Further, there is a gap between the upper and lower blank media stackers 21 and the created media stacker 22 so that the transport arm 36 of the media transport mechanism 31 can be rotated horizontally and positioned directly above the created media stacker 22. Is open. Further, when the media tray 41a is pushed into the media drive 41, the transport arm 36 of the media transport mechanism 31 is lowered to access the media tray 51 at the media delivery position. Therefore, the media can be transported to each part by a combined operation of raising and lowering the transport arm 36 and turning left and right.

  Below the media delivery position of the media tray 51, a disposal stacker 52 for storing the disposal media MD is arranged. For example, about 30 disposal media MD are stored in the disposal stacker 52. It is possible. The waste media MD can be supplied to the waste stacker 52 by the transport arm 36 of the media transport mechanism 31 with the media tray 51 retracted from the media delivery position above the waste stacker 52 to the data writing position.

  In summary, a medium composed of a CD or a DVD is inserted between the blank media stacker 21, the created media stacker 22, the disposal stacker 52, the media tray 41 a of the media drive 41, and the media tray 51 of the label printer 11 by the media transport mechanism 31. It is transported by the transport arm 36.

  The label printer 11 includes a carriage 62 having an ink jet head 61 having ink discharge nozzles (not shown). The carriage 62 is horizontally shown along the carriage guide shaft by a driving force of a carriage motor (not shown). Move back and forth.

  The label printer 11 includes an ink supply mechanism 71 having a cartridge mounting portion 14 to which the ink cartridge 12 is mounted. The ink supply mechanism 71 has a vertical structure and is erected on the base 72 of the publisher 1 and arranged in the vertical direction. One end of a flexible ink supply tube 73 is connected to the ink supply mechanism 71, and the other end of the ink supply tube 73 is connected to the carriage 62.

Then, the ink of the ink cartridge 12 mounted on the ink supply mechanism 71 is supplied to the carriage 62 via the ink supply tube 73, and passes through a damper unit and a back pressure adjustment unit (not shown) provided on the carriage 62, and then the inkjet head. 61 is discharged from an ink nozzle (not shown).
The ink supply mechanism 71 is provided with a pressurizing mechanism 74 so as to dispose a main portion on the upper portion thereof. The pressurizing mechanism 74 pressurizes the ink cartridge 12 and ink in the ink cartridge 12. The ink stored in the pack is sent out.

A head maintenance mechanism 81 is provided on the lower side of the carriage 62 at the home position (position shown in FIG. 4).
The head maintenance mechanism 81 includes a head cap 82 that covers the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 61 exposed on the lower surface of the carriage 62 disposed at the home position, and is discharged to the head cap 82 by a head cleaning operation and an ink filling operation of the inkjet head 61. And a waste ink suction pump 83 for sucking the discharged ink.

The ink sucked by the waste ink suction pump 83 of the head maintenance mechanism 81 is sent to the waste ink absorption tank 85 through the tube 84.
The waste ink absorption tank 85 has an absorbent material (not shown) disposed in a case 86, and the upper surface thereof is covered with a cover 88 having a plurality of air holes 87.
Below the head maintenance mechanism 81, a waste ink receiving portion 89, which is a part of the waste ink absorption tank 85, is provided to receive the ink dropped from the head maintenance mechanism 81 and absorb it by the absorbent material. Yes.

Next, the head maintenance mechanism 81 will be described in detail.
5 is a perspective view for explaining the structure of the head maintenance mechanism, FIG. 6 is a front view for explaining the structure of the head maintenance mechanism, FIG. 7 is a perspective view for explaining the operation of the head maintenance mechanism, and FIG. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the head maintenance mechanism 81 includes a head cap mechanism 101 for sealing the nozzle formation surface 61a of the inkjet head 61 and a wiper mechanism 102 for wiping the nozzle formation surface 61a. I have.

  The head cap mechanism 101 includes a cap slider 111. The cap slider 111 is formed in a case shape, and slides in a direction approaching or separating from the nozzle forming surface 61 a of the inkjet head 61.

  A cap holder 112 having a head cap 82 fixed to the tip end portion is held in the upper end recess of the cap slider 111 so as to be able to move forward and backward with respect to the cap slider 111. The head cap 82 is formed of a box-shaped rubber having an opening large enough to seal the nozzle forming surface 61a of the inkjet head 61, and a multilayer structure absorbent material 113 is attached to the opening. It has been.

The wiper mechanism 102 includes a wiper 121 made of a rubber plate, which is an elastic material. The wiper 121 is supported so that the wiper 121 can advance and retreat in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the inkjet head 61. It is fixed to.
The wiper 121 is moved to the wiper slider 122 to wipe the dirt on the nozzle formation surface 61a. The wiper 121 is disposed in the movement path of the inkjet head 61 (state shown in FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 7, the inkjet head 61 can move between the retracted position deviated from the moving path.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the wiper 121 has its tip disposed on the ink jet head 61 side by an amount s that protrudes from the nozzle forming surface 61a. Thus, the wiper 121 is moved with respect to the nozzle forming surface 61a of the inkjet head 61 as shown in FIG. The nozzle forming surface 61a is wiped by the wiper 121, and foreign matters such as ink adhering to the nozzle forming surface 61a are removed. Depending on the type of ink, the wiper 121 may be formed of a soft plastic or the like.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the wiper mechanism 102 includes an absorbent material 123 in the middle of the path of the sliding wiper 121, and the wiper 121 slides while contacting the absorbent material 123. Ink adhering to the wiper 121 is wiped off by the absorbent material 123.
The cap slider 111 of the head cap mechanism 101 and the wiper slider 122 of the wiper mechanism 102 are both slid by driving the waste ink suction pump 83.

  In the label printer 11, the inkjet head 61 is cleaned by the head maintenance mechanism 81. This cleaning process is performed at a predetermined timing or a user operation, and the head cap 82 is brought into close contact with the nozzle forming surface 61a of the inkjet head 61 and the waste ink suction pump 83 sucks the inside. Ink suction cleaning for sucking thickened ink from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 61 and wiping for wiping the dirt on the nozzle forming surface 61a of the inkjet head 61 with the wiper 121 are performed.

  Further, in the label printer 11 provided with the head maintenance mechanism 81, in order to remove the thickened ink from the ink nozzles of the ink jet head 61, a predetermined amount of ink is supplied from the ink nozzles of the ink jet head 61 before starting printing or periodically. In order to prevent clogging of the ink nozzles and to discharge the ink into the head cap 82, capping is also performed to protect the head cap 82 by closely contacting the nozzle forming surface 61a of the inkjet head 61 after printing is stopped.

Next, control by the control unit of the label printer 11 of the publisher 1 will be described.
(Power-on sequence)
First, a power-on sequence will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
When the publisher 1 is powered on, the label printer 11 reads information on the IC chip provided in each ink cartridge 12 (step S01).
Next, cartridge error determination is performed based on the reading result of the IC chip information of the ink cartridge 12 (step S02).

Here, when there is an ink cartridge 12 in which ink is empty based on the information of the IC chip, or when the ink cartridge 12 is not loaded in the cartridge holder 13 and the IC chip itself cannot be read, A cartridge error is assumed.
Then, the presence / absence of this cartridge error is determined (step S03), and if there is a cartridge error, a replacement flag is set (step S04), and display or sound is used to prompt the user to replace or load the ink cartridge 12. An error is issued (step S05).

If it is determined in step S03 that there is no cartridge error, a cap set determination is performed (step S06).
Here, when the previous operation of the publisher 1 is terminated, for example, when an outlet is unplugged during printing and capping is not performed in a normal power-off sequence, the time of power-off state When the ink nozzle is long, the ink nozzle of the ink jet head 61 is opened for a long time, and the ink in the ink nozzle dries and becomes thickened.

Therefore, in such a case, the ink nozzle opening time is obtained from the presence / absence of capping and the power-off time, and the ink in the thickened state from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 61 is determined based on the opening time. It is determined whether or not cap set cleaning forcibly suctioning is performed (step S07).
If it is determined from this determination that cap set cleaning is necessary, the head cap 82 is brought into close contact with the nozzle forming surface 61a of the inkjet head 61 and the interior is forcibly sucked by the waste ink suction pump 83. Then, cap set cleaning which is ink suction cleaning for sucking thickened ink from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 61 is performed (step S08), and the power-on sequence ends.
If it is determined that cap set cleaning is not necessary (step S07), the power-on sequence is terminated as it is.

(Door closing sequence)
Next, the door closing sequence will be described along the flowchart shown in FIG.
The control unit of the label printer 11 executes a door closing sequence when the open / close door 4 (see FIG. 1) on the left side of the publisher 1 that is opened and closed when the ink cartridge 12 is replaced is closed.
In the door closing sequence, first, when the open / close door 4 is closed (step S11), the control unit of the label printer 11 reads information on the IC chip provided in each ink cartridge 12 (step S12).

Next, cartridge error determination is performed based on the reading result of the IC chip information of the ink cartridge 12 (step S13).
Here, if the ink cartridge 12 has not yet been replaced or loaded in the cartridge holder 13, a cartridge error is assumed.
Then, it is determined whether or not there is a cartridge error (step S14). If there is a cartridge error, an error is issued by display or sound to prompt the user to replace or load the ink cartridge 12 (step S15).

When it is determined in step S14 that there is no cartridge error, cap set determination is performed (step S16).
Then, the ink nozzle opening time is obtained from the presence or absence of capping when the power is turned off and the time when the power is turned off, and based on the opening time, the ink that is in a thickened state is forced from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 61. It is determined whether or not to perform cap set cleaning for suction (step S17).

If it is determined from this determination that cap set cleaning is necessary, the head cap 82 is brought into close contact with the nozzle forming surface 61a of the inkjet head 61 and the interior is forcibly sucked by the waste ink suction pump 83. Then, cap set cleaning, which is ink suction cleaning for sucking thickened ink from the ink nozzles of the inkjet head 61, is performed (step S18), and the door close sequence ends.
Note that if it is determined that cap set cleaning is unnecessary as a result of determining whether or not cap set cleaning is required (step S17), the door closing sequence is terminated as it is.

(Print start sequence)
Next, the print start sequence will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
In the publisher 1, when a print command is issued, the control unit of the label printer 11 executes a print start sequence.
In the print start sequence, first, an exchange flag determination for determining the presence or absence of an exchange flag is performed (step S21).

  In this replacement flag determination, it is determined whether or not the replacement flag is set due to the occurrence of a cartridge error in the power ON sequence (step S22). If it is determined that the replacement flag is set, the ink cartridge A minute amount of ink is sucked from the ink nozzles by executing the replacement cleaning performed at the time of replacement or loading of 12 (step S23). Thereafter, flushing is performed to eject ink from the ink nozzles into the head cap 83 (step S24), the thickened ink at the ink nozzles is removed, and the printing process is started (step S25).

  If it is determined in the replacement flag determination that the replacement flag is not set, flushing is performed without performing cleaning at the time of replacement (step S23) (step S24), and the thickened ink in the ink nozzles is removed. Printing processing is started (step S25).

As described above, according to the head maintenance method and the head maintenance mechanism according to the present embodiment, not only when the power is turned on but also when the ink cartridge 12 is replaced, the nozzle forming surface 61a of the inkjet head 61 is opened. Based on this, it is determined whether or not cap set cleaning is required to forcibly suck the ink in the thickened state from the ink nozzles with respect to the ink jet head 61. For example, the power supply after the capping is not performed for a long time Whether the ink cartridge 12 is inserted or the ink cartridge 12 is replaced, the ink in the thickened state is forcibly sucked from the ink nozzle by cap set cleaning, and discharge failure due to ink drying at the ink nozzle can be prevented.
In addition, the waiting time of the user at the start of printing can be reduced as compared with the case where cap set cleaning is performed immediately before the start of printing.

  Thus, according to the recording apparatus including the label printer 11 including the head maintenance mechanism 81, the ink that is forcibly thickened from the ink nozzles by the cap set cleaning both when the power is turned on and when the ink cartridge is replaced. And the ejection failure due to the drying of the ink at the ink nozzles can be prevented, so that the ink nozzles of the ink jet head 61 can be reliably maintained in a good state and the printing process can be performed with high quality.

  In addition, when the ink cartridge 12 is replaced, even if the cap set cleaning is not performed as a result of the cap set cleaning determination, cleaning is performed at the time of replacement to suck a small amount of ink from the ink nozzle before starting printing. For example, it is possible to prevent ink ejection failure due to bubbles remaining immediately after replacement of the ink cartridge 12.

  Further, the cap set cleaning determination can be easily executed by closing the open / close door 4.

It is an external appearance perspective view of a publisher (media processing apparatus). It is a perspective view of the front side of the state which removed the case of the publisher. It is a perspective view of the back side of the state which removed the case of the publisher. It is a perspective view of the label printer part installed in the publisher. It is a perspective view explaining the structure of a head maintenance mechanism. It is a front view explaining the structure of a head maintenance mechanism. It is a perspective view explaining operation | movement of a head maintenance mechanism. It is a front view explaining operation | movement of a head maintenance mechanism. It is a flowchart explaining the flow of the sequence at the time of power activation. It is a flowchart explaining the flow of a door close sequence. It is a flowchart explaining the flow of a printing start sequence.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 ... Open / close door, 11 ... Label printer (recording apparatus), 12 ... Ink cartridge, 61 ... Inkjet head (printing head), 61a ... Nozzle formation surface, 81 ... Head maintenance mechanism, 82 ... Head cap, 83 ... Waste ink suction Pump (drive means, suction means).

Claims (7)

A head maintenance method in which a head cap is brought into close contact with a nozzle formation surface of a print head and suction cleaning is performed to suck ink from an ink nozzle, and capping is performed to protect the head cap by being brought into close contact with the nozzle formation surface when printing is stopped,
Cap set cleaning determination for determining whether or not cap set cleaning is required to forcibly suck ink from the ink nozzles to the print head based on the opening time of the nozzle forming surface of the print head when the power is turned on. As well as
The head maintenance method, wherein the cap set cleaning determination is performed even when an ink cartridge storing ink to be supplied to the print head is replaced. The head maintenance method according to claim 1,
A head maintenance method comprising: performing cleaning at the time of replacement for sucking a minute amount of ink from the ink nozzle to the print head when the ink cartridge is replaced before starting printing. The head maintenance method according to claim 1 or 2,
The head maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein the cap set cleaning determination at the time of replacing the ink cartridge is executed when an opening / closing door that is opened and closed at the time of replacing the ink cartridge is closed. A head cap that is in close contact with the nozzle formation surface of the print head, a driving means that contacts and separates the head cap from the nozzle formation surface, and the head cap that is in close contact with the nozzle formation surface. A suction means for sucking ink, and a control means for controlling the driving means and the suction means. The head cap is in contact with the nozzle formation surface of the print head and sucks ink from the ink nozzles, and the head cap at the time of suspension of printing. A head maintenance mechanism that performs capping to protect the nozzle formation surface in close contact with each other,
The control means determines whether or not cap set cleaning for forcibly sucking ink from the ink nozzle to the print head is necessary based on the opening time of the nozzle formation surface of the print head when the power is turned on. A head maintenance mechanism that performs a cap set cleaning determination and also performs the cap set cleaning determination when replacing an ink cartridge storing ink to be supplied to the print head. The head maintenance mechanism according to claim 4,
When the ink cartridge has been replaced before the start of printing, the control unit is configured to perform cleaning at the time of replacement for sucking a minute amount of ink from the ink nozzle to the print head. A head maintenance mechanism for controlling the means. The head maintenance mechanism according to claim 4 or 5,
The head maintenance mechanism is characterized in that the control means executes the cap set cleaning determination at the time of replacing the ink cartridge when a door that is opened and closed at the time of replacing the ink cartridge is closed.   A recording apparatus comprising the head maintenance mechanism according to claim 4.

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